Sumiyoshi Taisha

The gods of the seas, sources of all life.

Sumiyoshi Taisha is the head temple of the 2300 Sumiyoshi temples across Japan, and revered for its significance and splendor it attracts more than 2 million visitors at the start of the year.
The temple is dedicated to the three gods of the sea, Sokotsutsu no O no Mikoto, Nakatsutsu no O no Mikoto, and Uwatsutsu no O no Mikoto, who are said to have appeared when the god Izanagi-no-mikoto performed a purification ritual, along with the Empress Jingu.
The gods here has been worshipped as the protectors of sea travel since ancient times, as well as the gods of poetry and literature in the Ochi period, as gods who appear in the real world, and as the ancestor gods of purification, industry, trade, and diplomacy. The grounds include four main temples, designated national treasures that impart ancient architecture into our modern times, an arched bridge representative of Sumiyoshi, a variety of cultural properties and a divine camphor tree said to be 1000 years old, allowing you to really feel the history of this venerable temple.

Main Festivals
◆Otaue Festival 6/14 13:00 ~ 15:00 A seed planting festival that respects ancient methods. This is a nationally designated important intangible folk cultural property.
◆Sumiyoshi Festival 7/30 ~ 8/1 The festival that closes out the Osaka summer festival, with rites and dedications performed over three packed days. The summer purification performed on July 31 is a prefectural designated intangible cultural property. (Closing of the gates extended to 22:00)